1996
by the spindoctor
Summary: "The last time you saw him was what, three years ago?" — Red/Green, originalshipping. Hurt/comfort, but only sort of.


_Confusing originalshipping stuff, ahoy! So yeah, boy/boy. Sorry if I messed up the tenses too, hopefully it doesn't detract too much from the story.  
_

* * *

**1996.  
**_got a little soul, the world is a cold cold place to be  
_

* * *

"Hey, wasn't it back in 1996?"

He first hears someone say it in '98 when he's applying for the recently-vacated Viridian gym leader position (it's been going around the town that the leader after Giovanni found the pressure too much and had to resign, but that wouldn't happen to him, he was too good). The League official is apparently watching him fill in the form and recognises his name - though Green has never met the man before - and it dawns on him that this is the guy that the famed Red ousted from his spot as Champion.

Grumbling, as it's still a sore spot, he nods and finishes signing his name on the paper before shoving it at the man. Once done, he skulks off to take a seat with the other applicants, crossing his arms over his chest. The guy next to him gives him a look of _'what the hell?' _and he glares back, he's here to get a job, _not _to make small-talk.

...

_He still thinks about Red on occasion._

_Okay, so maybe all the time. _

_But it's usually just about what an idiot he is for sitting at the top of a freezing mountain for so long._

...

He hears people saying it everywhere after that - his neighbours to each other as he's walking to his apartment door, people in cafes even if they don't realise he's there and occasionally even on League programs on television. Each time he's just as annoyed as the last and one day when he's at the Pokemon Centre, he actually storms out when he overhears a conversation between two younger trainers.

But anyway, it's 1999 now and while he's been a gym leader for a year already, he's only just had his first loss. It's to this kid called Gold, he's from some middle-of-nowhere town in Johto but apparently he'd managed to beat the Elite Four and Champion a few months ago (though Lance wasn't exactly the toughest opponent). So losing hadn't come as a complete surprise, but that doesn't mean he's happy about it and is very reluctantly grabbing the badge out of his office for him.

Gold is waiting for him and when he comes back out, said kid yells across the room, "I watched your battle with Red three years ago, you two were so cool," He grins, oblivious to the fact Green's fists are clenched at his sides, quite possibly breaking the badge he has yet to receive. Or may not ever receive if he doesn't shut up. "You guys were actually the main reason I became a trainer. I really wanted to challenge you!"

It's supposed to be a compliment, but he's too annoyed to care. He probably only wanted to challenge Red anyway.

...

_He would like to see him again._

_Not because he misses him or wants to be like best friends, but to battle. He's a lot better than he was, he might actually stand a chance now._

_He wants to yell at him too, for leaving them all down here. Did he not think about what it was like for them to have someone suddenly gone like that?_

_But no, he definitely didn't miss him._

...

A few months later and he's at his grandfather's place, keeping him company while the man sits in his office doing some sort of boring research he doesn't understand. Green's bored though, and the only thing to do is pace around the room, occasionally inspecting books and not putting them back on their shelves. It's not his fault though, if you had this many then it was kind of a given that they would get messed up sometimes.

His granddad isn't enjoying it though and utters a few complaints when he notices them stacking up on his desk. But it comes to the crux when Green accidentally drops an heavy encyclopaedia of pokemon types on his hand and swears loudly.

"You should go visit Red." He sighs, turning around from his work and shaking his head. Green frowns, not sure whether his granddad is actually concerned about Red up there on the mountain or he just wants him gone.

"Why?" He shoots back, ignoring the pain in his hand and suddenly on the defensive.

"Because you two used to be best friends and you haven't seen him since...what, 1996 now."

That's right...he hasn't. While he usually flies off the handle when people bring up his humiliating loss to the guy, he _does _in some tiny miniscule way maybe kind of miss him, though he'd never admit it to anyone or even himself. He ignores it most of the time and gets on with things, but honestly, his grandfather, Daisy and Red were the only things he had when he was growing up and now a third of that was gone.

He pushes away the thoughts and sits down, narrowing his eyes at the old man. "I'm not going to trek all the way up that stupid mountain, he can come down here if he wants to see me."

...

_Fine. He does miss him. What of it?_

...

So maybe he does climb up the mountain. Though it's six months later and has absolutely nothing to do with his grandfather suggesting it, really. But as he stands in the freezing cold snowstorm, arms crossed over his chest he asks himself why the hell he did it. It's horrible up here and doesn't get why Red would willingly stay year after year. He doesn't make a secret of this either, the first thing he says when he sees the guy is,_ "Get the fuck off this mountain, you're going to die."_

It's only when he's sitting next to him by a small fire later on, thawing out that he realises he's done something pretty big. He's scaled the terrifying cliffs to find his illusive friend that everyone back down on earth only half-believe exists...and then he starts to freak out. He's put this off for so long but now he's here and he has no idea what to do. So he sits completely still, hoping that Red won't notice what's going on.

Thankfully he doesn't seem to, and inches closer to the fire to warm up his hands. He rubs them together for a minute and then turns to him to say, "Why the sudden appearance? I'm glad you're here, but I haven't seen you for ages. I think the last time was like three years ago."

Suddenly he's not freaking out anymore and is completely unfrozen. And instead he's growling and balling his fists up while Red just watches, unmoving. This only irritates Green further because _he's exactly the same _as when they were younger_, _so without even really thinking, he punches Red in the jaw before tackling him into the snow, laughing and grinning. He doesn't even care if he thinks he's insane because _he's exactly the same!_

...

_Okay, yes, he missed him like crazy._

_But Red tells him that he missed him too._

_They did used to be best friends after all._

...

Green is watching out the window, there's a younger trainer walking towards the entrance of his gym and he knows that in about ten minutes he's going to want to challenge him. Battling is the last thing he feels like today though because for the first time in months, Red has come to visit him at work. They're sitting in his other office on the second floor but all Green wants to do is go back home and collapse onto the couch with him, the office is stuffy and not nearly as comfortable.

"Is that how you watched me approach you last time we battled?" His voice echoes from behind and Green turns around to find him absentmindedly swinging around on the spinny chair. "Out your ivory Champion's tower at the top of the League, looking down at all the novice trainers and sticking your nose up at them."

He grins, kicking the leg of his chair and sending him halfway across the room. "What, back in 1996 you mean?"

Red stares at him, open-mouthed for a moment before jumping out the chair and bounding across the room to hug him. He stiffens at the sudden embrace but soon relaxes, hiding his smile from the shorter boy. He's over it now, Red's back down in civilisation with him and that whole being beaten by your best friend thing was four years ago. What was the point in still dwelling on that?

* * *

_want a little warmth, but who's gonna save a little warmth for me?_

* * *

_So I wanted it to show that Green had finally moved on and gotten over the whole loss thing, but I'm not sure if it came across that way. At any rate, Green and Red did end up together because adorable._


End file.
